But first they needed buffalo and there were none in New Zealand at that time.

“We decided to make this cheese and Googled and came up with this Buffalo Bill guy in the Northern Territory,” Helen says.

The pair went to the wild north of Australia, met Bill and his herd and bought five animals from him and a further 50 or so from a nearby government farm which had tried, but failed, to bring buffalo meat to the market.

However, once settled back in New Zealand the herd were not producing milk in economic quantities, Helen says.

“We thought we were going to get more milk from our original animals, and it’s been a long process of intensive breeding to get animals that milk as well as they do now.

“When we first started milking the stock … we were getting three litres a day so we were going broke in a hell of a hurry.”

She says a process of selective breeding since then has lifted production.

While it’s perfectly possible to make mozzarella form cow’s milk, the buffalo variety is in a different league, she says.

“Buffalo milk is quite unique; it’s a different flavour, a different constitution. It’s very sweet, very mild, very clean on the palate.

“Cow’s milk mozzarella is very nice, but buffalo mozzarella is something else altogether.

“It’s a beautiful flavour, but hard won, the milk is hard won.”

Richard is the cheesemaker and earned the ancient craft studying with Italian artisans.

Now they have a herd of 120 buffalo and make cheese twice a week all of which sells out. Helen says proximity is the key to customers getting the product fresh.

Helen and Richard Dorresteyn Photo: Supplied

“Our factory is 30 minutes from our farm, and the milk doesn’t travel well either, it’s a delicate product.”

"Buffaloes are beautiful' - that's the motto of Phil Armstrong and Annie Armstrong-Wills who raise a herd of waterbuffaloes just north of Auckland. They hit upon the unusual idea some years ago when… Audio